Ronaldo set to miss Copa del Rey final against Barcelona

The 29-year-old has suffered an injury to his left hamstring, meaning he's set to miss the showpiece and possibly the first leg of his side's Champions League semi-final

Real Madrid have been dealt a serious blow following the news Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to miss next week's Copa del Rey final against Barcelona with a hamstring problem.

The Portugual international limped off in the closing stages of his side's 3-0 Champions League quarter-final first leg win over Borussia Dortmund.

He subsequently sat out the 4-0 win over Real Sociedad at Anoeta and was an unused substitute in the return game against Jurgen Klopp's side, as Madrid scraped through to the semi-finals 3-2 on aggregate after losing 2-0 on Tuesday night.

It has now been confirmed that the 29-year-old has suffered an injury to his left hamstring, and is reportedly set to miss around two weeks of action, which would rule him out of the crucial Clasico next Wednesday.

The problem also makes him a doubt for the first-leg of his side's Champions League semi-final on April 22 or 23, with Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern Munich all possible opponents in the last four.

Dortmund confirm Adrian Ramos signing from Hertha Berlin

The Colombia international, who has been in excellent scoring form in 2013-14, will move to Signal Iduna Park at the end of the season after five years in the German capital

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the summer signing of striker Adrian Ramos for an undisclosed fee to fill the void being left by Bayern Munich-bound Robert Lewandowski.

The Schwarzgelben were dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday by Real Madrid at the quarter-final stage despite winning 2-0 in the second leg, but confirmation of Ramos' long-rumoured arrival on a four-year deal should help ease the pain of European elimination.

BVB sporting director Michael Zorc, who had revealed this week that the club will "certainly sign two strikers" in the summer, lavished praise on the Colombia international, whom he believes is perfectly suited to Jurgen Klopp's style of play.

"Adrian Ramos is an excellent footballer and one of the top goalscorers in Germany," he told the club's official website. "He fits perfectly with Borussia Dortmund's requirements."

Ramos has been in fine form this season, netting 16 times in 29 appearances, while his overall record with Hertha Berlin stands at 32 goals from 89 outings.

His impressive numbers this season have led to a recall to the the Colombia squad, with Radamel Falcao's chances of being fit to feature at the World Cup this summer still up in the air because of a knee injury.

Forlan: I told Suarez to join Manchester United

The Uruguayan has revealed he advised his countryman to consider a move to Old Trafford before he arrived at Anfield from Ajax for €27.5 million in January 2011

Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan has revealed he told countryman Luis Suarez to join Manchester Unitedbefore his move to Liverpool in January 2011.

Suarez arrived at Anfield from Ajax in a €27.5 million deal and has propelled the Reds into a surprise Premier League title challenge this season, topping the scoring charts with 29 goals.

But Forlan, who now plays for J-League side Cerezo Osaka, has revealed things might have been very different had his international team-mate followed his advice.

"When Liverpool made him an offer," Forlan wrote in FourFourTwo, "I told him he should join Manchester United, but I also spoke well of Liverpool and their history.

"He loves playing at Liverpool. He likes the Premier League – and the fans love him because he's a striker's striker.

"He still chases everything, like Wayne Rooney used to before he moved deeper, and he's learned from his mistakes. We all make them."

Mourinho the man to beat and five things to expect from Champions League semi-finals

The final four have now been decided for Friday's draw - but what can we hope to see from the remaining sides fighting for Europe's top prize?

COMMENTBy Peter Staunton

Jose Mourinho has no equal in adapting tactics depending on the opponent. No coach currently left in the competition prepares a team better for individual matches. This season he has earned Chelsea rewards in the Premier League and Champions League by his setting his team out with a particular game in mind. 

The win against Manchester City, which brought down Manuel Pellegrini's facade of impenetrability, was among the best displays in the Premier League this campaign and owed a lot to Mourinho's preparation in the days leading up to the game. 

"This is where he comes into his own," captain John Terry said after the 1-0 victory in February. "We spent a good couple of days working on their strengths and weaknesses. They were long sessions for us but they were very worthwhile."

Jose was at it again in midweek. He had a blueprint in mind for every circumstance against Paris Saint-Germain, Terry revealed. Andre Schurrle and Demba Ba both came off the bench to score in a 2-0 win which eliminated the French Ligue 1 leaders. 

"We worked a lot all week on scenarios; 1-0, 2-0, 3-1, what would we do if Demba came on," Terry said. "For every scenario, we had a game plan and once again we got it right."

Chelsea may not play heart-stopping football or boast an all-star attack but they are going to be a match for any team in the semi-finals due to their coach's meticulous attention to detail and the willingness of his players to buy into his plans and execute them. They don't give goals up easily and score at the right time. 

Make no mistake, Mourinho already knows how to beat all three semi-final rivals. 

Real Madrid's shoddy backline will leave them vulnerable

Real Madrid's awesome attacking power has served them well so far. No team in the competition has more goals this season. They have scored 32 times in the Champions League and have been able to devastate opponents due to their immense firepower. 

As the game against Borussia Dortmund showed, however, Madrid are in danger when their attackers have an off-night. With no Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale were tamed easily. Dortmund scored twice and should have had more. Madrid are lucky to be in the last four because their defence cannot be relied upon. When they are expected to see out a game instead of vanquishing the opposition with relentless attacks, Real Madrid are in peril. 

There is a lack of organisation in front of Iker Casillas with neither Sergio Ramos nor Pepe capable of adequately commanding a defence. Moreover, there are mistakes aplenty in the Real ranks. Pepe and Xabi Alonso were both culpable in allowing Jurgen Klopp's side their goals on Tuesday. Any repeat of that and Real will be eliminated. 

They are facing three teams who can defend better than they can. It's a lot to ask but if the shackles can again be applied to Real's attack then they must be considered outsiders at best for their latest shot at La Decima. 

Lahm will again be Bayern's most important player

Pep Guardiola has faced some snipes for taking the fun out of Bayern Munich's play but he deserves immense credit for his unleashing of Philipp Lahm. 

Guardiola reasoned that Lahm was too good a player to be shunted to the full-back position and has put him back in the position he played as a youth - in midfield. Lahm has responded with his best individual season to date. 

He is the one who interprets best what Guardiola demands. He is the one who plays that pace-setting pass, whether it's long or short. He is the one to fill the gaps and quench whatever, usually inconsequential, pressure Bayern are facing. 

No game this season illustrated better Lahm's evolution than the 3-1 home win against Manchester United in the quarter-finals. Lahm was named at right-back but didn't often pop up there. Formations are really only team shapes when defending. Lahm didn't have to face down Danny Welbeck or Shinji Kagawa very often and so was allowed to dictate the game from further infield whenever he could. 

The key moment in the game, aside from Patrice Evra's goal, was the introduction of Rafinha. He played as an orthodox right-back allowing Lahm to push into midfield proper and not have to worry about United's left-sided midfielder. And it was he who instigated the attack for Robben's goal. But more than that, he gave Bayern the control and stability they craved with so many first-choice midfielders absent. 

When Bayern have a problem, Lahm is the man to solve it. Whatever Guardiola asks of him, he carries it out. He will be vital in the semi-finals, whoever they face. 

Atleti's desperation will be their motivation

When Koke scored the goal to take Atletico Madrid to the Champions League semi-finals - at the expense of Barcelona - for the first time in the history of the competition, many would have been forgiven for thinking that this was going to be the start of something beautiful. 

They are top of the Spanish Primera Division and now among the best four teams on the continent. They possess a coach on the up and a red-hot forward in Diego Costa; Atleti seem to have it all. Although this is only their first season among Europe's elite it is nonetheless likely to be their last. 

Diego Simeone is the man who has forged this project together. If he moves on to pastures new in the summer given that he is now one of the most in-demand coaches in world football he will take with him the secrets and methods of Atletico's success. 

Moreover, they remain some €500 million in debt. Atleti are continually striving to drive down wages and are in no position to turn away transfer fees. Diego Costa's release clause will likely be met and he will go. Koke, too, will now find himself in demand. The essence of this brilliant, energetic team could be torn away.

Which is why success will taste all the sweeter for Simeone. After the Europa League, the European Super Cup and the Copa Del Rey, a Liga and Champions League double would not be the start of something special  - it would be the end. 

Home clean sheets will make all the difference

The value of an away goal means teams can be very cagey at home at this stage of the competition. Nonetheless, the rewards are there for any side who keeps a clean sheet at home in the Champions League knockouts. Scoring an away goal is more often than not a determining factor in which team goes forward in Europe. The quarter-finals emphasised the importance of maintaining a shut-out at home whether in the first or second leg. 

Bayern were the only team among the last four to go through having conceded on their own ground. Patrice Evra's long-range strike provoked a fearsome backlash and Bayern won comfortably with goals to spare. Things, however, were closer in the other matches. 

PSG must have thought they had done enough to eliminate Chelsea by virtue of a 3-1 win in Paris. Not so. Some good saves from Petr Cech and a big missed chance for Edinson Cavani meant that PSG were always vulnerable so long as Chelsea held them goalless. And so it proved with a matter of minutes on the clock. 

Real Madrid can point to the chances missed by Henrikh Mhkitaryan as the chief reason that they progressed but Borussia Dortmund were always up against it having failed to score at Santiago Bernabeu. Had they taken one chance in Spain, they would have been the team through. 

And what of Atletico Madrid? No team has been as consistently successful in one season against Barcelona as they have. They snatched a vital lead at Camp Nou through Diego and although Neymar pulled one back on the night, it was not necessarily Koke's goal at the Vicente Calderon but their ability to shut out Barca that put them through. 

So much emphasis is put on the big attacking players these days that it's difficult to make the point that scoring goals is not always the most important element in knockout football; not conceding them is. 

Guinness World Records disowns Punjab Youth Festival judges

The 32 world records claimed by the provincial government in the recent Punjab Sports Festival became a joke with the denial of any mutual partnership in the event by the officials of the Guinness World Records.

Amarilis Whitty, Director Guinness World Records, said in an email "I would like to confirm that we have not partnered with the Punjab Sports Board and we do not have representatives of the names you mention below. Those people are not associated to GWR and we did not adjudicate those events in Pakistan."

However, the international organization did provide Punjab Sports Board with remote adjudication services. The management of the Guinness World Records clearly said that it did not sign any agreement with the Punjab government for partnering the Youth Festival. The judges claimed to be authentic by the Punjab government were not a part of the GWR team according to the email and the copy of this mail is also available with the PTI.

PPP had also raised the issue of huge corruption during the sporting event. PPP member Faiza Malik said "The Guinness authorities are saying that they had not sent any of its staff to certify the records. How smartly the PML-N government is fooling the people."

Although the Punjab government denied any foul play in the Punjab Youth Festival, the authenticity of the records is still a mystery.

The wrath of social media

The study suggests that relationships can be salvaged by reducing the time spent on social media. PHOTO: FILE

WASHINGTON: Arguments over social media platforms among romantic partners are damaging relationships as well as  ending in negative outcomes such as emotional and physical cheating, breakups and divorce, research reveals.

Individuals who are active Twitter users are far more likely to experience Twitter-related conflict with their romantic partners, researchers said. “I found it interesting that active Twitter users experienced conflict and negative relationship outcomes, regardless of the length of their romantic relationship,” said Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in University of Missouri’s school of journalism.

Couples who reported being in relatively new relationships experienced the same amount of conflict as those in longer relationships, he noted. In his study, Clayton surveyed 581 Twitter users of all ages. Clayton asked participants questions about their Twitter use, such as how often they login to Twitter, tweet, scroll their Twitter newsfeed, send direct messages to others and reply to followers.

Clayton also asked how much, if any, conflict arose between participants’ current or former partners as a result of Twitter use. He found that the more often a respondent reported being active on Twitter, the more likely they were to experience Twitter-related conflict with their partner. “The aim of this study was to examine whether my previous study, that concluded that Facebook use predicted Facebook-related conflict – which then led to breakup and divorce, were consistent with Twitter,” Clayton commented.

In his previous research on Facebook, Clayton found that Facebook-related conflict and negative relationship outcomes were greater among couples in newer relationships of 36 months or less.  If Twitter users are experiencing Twitter-related conflict with their partner, Clayton recommends “couples of all ages limit their daily and weekly use of social networking sites to healthier, more reasonable levels”.

According to him, although a number of variables can contribute to relationship infidelity and separation, social networking site usage can be damaging to relationships. Cut back to moderate, healthy levels of Twitter use if you are experiencing Twitter or Facebook-related conflict, he advised in the study, which was published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

GoT premiere gives HBO top draw since Sopranos

With swords in hand and palace intrigue in the shadows, HBO’s Game Of Thrones is back for its fourth season with a record-breaking 6.6 million viewers. PHOTO: FILE

LOS ANGELES: The season four premiere of fantasy epic Game of Thrones drew an average of 6.6 million viewers, making it the largest audience for HBO since the 2007 finale of mafia drama The Sopranos, the premium cable network reported on Monday.

The highly anticipated premiere on Sunday of Game of Thrones beat out its season three premiere of 4.4 million viewers and topped its all-time-high audience of 5.5 million.

The series on civil war, extreme weather and mythical creatures is shaping up to be the Time Warner Inc-owned network’s biggest show since The Sopranos, which drew 11.9 million viewers for its 2007 finale.

After the slaughter of the main members of the Stark family in the Red Wedding episode last season, the season four premiere saw the remaining Starks coming to terms with the deaths.

Audiences saw Arya Stark, played by 16-year-old Maisie Williams, take a dark, cruel turn, as she exacts revenge for her family. The series is adapted from author George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels.

HBO said a total of 8.2 million people watched the episode, which included two replays later on Sunday. Game of Thrones averages a gross audience of 14.4 million per episode. That figure includes viewers who record the show and watch it later in the week, which is popular among the network’s viewers.

The network also said its online viewing app, HBO Go, experienced technical difficulties due to heavy demand for Game of Thrones, which made it difficult for some users to access the show.

The debut of eccentric tech comedy Silicon Valley averaged 2 million viewers following Game of Thrones, while the season three premiere of political satire Veep averaged 955,000.

In its second season, Veep averaged 3.9 million viewers, including live and recorded viewings.

HBO’s Sunday night lineup of the three series has been lauded by critics as some of U.S. television’s strongest programming blocks.Reuters